‘It’s not 1800-phone-a-friend’: the failed promise of therapy apps

<p>“I didn’t have a boyfriend to text anymore so might as well text a therapist,” a millennial podcast host tells her audience while recommending they seek out counselling.</p><p>Online therapy services like BetterHelp are some of podcasting’s biggest advertisers, promising to address the barriers that prevent people from accessing face-to-face therapy.</p><p>Now, the American company is expanding its app into Australia – recruiting Australian psychologists while capitalising on the failings of a mental health system that’s difficult to navigate. </p><p>But are patients actually better off with subscription-based therapy apps?</p><p>Today, clinic...